


Color on the Walls

by sneepus



Category: Open Source Objects (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby's First Fanfic, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, NO SWEARING ON TV, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Temporary Character Death, loren isnt eliminated for plot convenience
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-06-29 14:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19831711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sneepus/pseuds/sneepus
Summary: Guarana humiliatingly finds himself eliminated extremely early on, but he's not without company.





	1. Prologue

_He remembered swearing he'd regard Graffiti, splattering into a dead heap in front of him, one of those things he'd find funny in retrospect. After the shock settled in, Graffiti would be brought back, he'd get his votes counted and appear in the next competition unscathed._

_Guarana had to pause for a second when he heard that jingle, the voice that followed resounding through the dome. "Thirty-second. Graffiti."_

god damn, _he thought._ that was quick.

_He felt a lingering… disappointment. Their time together wasn't long, but Graffiti was an alright guy. Oh well - there's thirty other friends he could make._

* * *

_"Today's challenge will be stacking!" announced Crayon Box - okay, pair up with someone. Guarana could do that._

_As everyone else took to finding their respective partners, Guarana looked for someone he could get along with. He took notice of someone off to the side, nearly twice his size, standing out without anyone approaching. Okay, not really - they didn't stand out that much._

_"how's it going?" Guarana asked, approaching Loren. "wanna team up?"_

_Loren shrugged in response. "Yeah, why not?" He and Guarana fist bumped lightly before the former heaved his new teammate onto his shoulders. "Nobody else's asked."_

_"nice, nice. i think you look like a sturdy guy."_

_"Yeahhhh…--uh, thanks?"_

_"yeah no, i think we're gonna do fine." Guarana rested his hands on Loren's hat, watching the others as they paired up._

* * *

_Crayon Box counted up the pairs and smiled, fist pumping up as she shouts, "Begin!"_

_A contestant from another pair was just holding their teammate. Another was_ literally flying _… As amusing as some of the other teams were, Guarana realized he didn't have the patience for this._ Sabotage _, Graffiti's voice rang in his head._

_"hey, actually, i don't think i can just sit here and do nothing the whole time," Guarana piped up._

_"Oh, yeah. To be honest, me too."_

_"you a good thrower?"_

_"I'm a thrower," Loren replied humorously - he really wasn't. However, he finds himself catching a ball tossed down by Guarana._

_"okay, you think you can total someone with this?"_

_"I can try."_

_Loren scanned the dome for a pair he can catch off-guard. He winds up for a good throw - aiming for ********, leaning over the edge of Putty's lid._

_**WHACK.** _

_******** is reasonably shaken, but not out for the count - their response is a startled BEEP._

_**PLOP!** _

_"Woah," Holly said, having ducked just before the ball was able to land in Phonograph's horn._

_"dang. well, it was worth a shot," Guarana shrugs._

_Suddenly, Phonograph blew fiercely through her horn._

_**THUNK.** _

_Organic Fruit & Grain Bar narrowly avoids being clocked in the face by raising Coin to cover it, sending the ball flying in an arc._

_"Hey-- WATCH OUT!"_

_Guarana caught sight of the ball and grabbed firmly, to no avail - he finds himself knocked clean off of Loren's shoulders and onto the ground, still gripping his teammate's hat._

no.

_"Oof - that looks like it's gotta hurt!" Crayon Box declares! "Guarana and Loren are the next pair up for elimination!"_

nooo.

_"Looks like they've been knocked out of their shell!"_

noooooooo. 

the crushing weight of karma. the agony of Crayon Box's puns. _Guarana handed the hat back to its owner, getting up as he did so._

_"Geeze, that looked rough. Sorry--I wasn't thinking," Loren grimaced. "I should've ducked out of the way instead."_

_"nah, it's fine," Guarana said, brushing himself off, showing off he was unharmed. "i've fallen harder. it's just one slip-up-- it's not like we're gonna be eliminated."_

_Loren rubbed the back of his head, remembering his close-call elimination vote. "Yeah, I guess so."_


	2. Chapter 2

"With a mere twenty vote lead," said Crayon Box, "Guarana has been eliminated!"

_whaaaaaaaaaat._

Guarana sat up in his chair and looked around the room for the first time since the vote tally started, looking around at the other contestants' faces, including Loren's remorseful smile. In disbelief, he looked up at the projection at the front of the room… lo and behold, his name, his tally bar, in red, rose higher than the others.

"you've gotta be--"

"Careful," Crayon Box whispered.

"--flipping kidding me," he said, voice even quieter than usual.

"No," she assured him, "I was surprised too. You made a good shot, Guarana."

Guarana paused for a second. _whatever!_ he thought. _it's just a game! someone's gotta lose._ He stood up and turned for the door, just as Yellow Crayon switched the projection off. As sunlight crept in through the door, he gave a last glance to the safe contestants.

He just didn't think it'd be this early.

Whump. The door shuts. Crayon Box clasps her hands together. "Well, we have no time to waste. We only have an hour to shoot all of this!"

**_"Thirty-first. Guarana."_ **

* * *

Guarana stands in a crowded subway station, waiting for the subway. A faint guitar strums in the background; the station is surprisingly clean, save for dirt on the ground and spray paint on the walls. People pass him left and right. Above him, a tone jingled -- eerily similar to the one at the dome. 

He steps onto the train - with a few ruffles, rustles, clinks and squeezes, the carriage is jam-packed with all sorts of people - objects, a few humans, some strange creatures. Guarana manages to find a seat. In the chattering crowd, even with such a brilliant red shell, he blends in with the masses of color.

Inhale. Exhale.

Guarana relaxes his shoulders to the clacking of the train, steadily moving along. Lazily, he looks around the train car - then the red fruit leans back in his seat, closing his eyes. Admittedly, he's still extremely bummed about his elimination. _what a waste,_ he thinks, then pushes that thought away.

The subway ride goes sleepless, with quiet chatter, people moving in and out on other stops along the way--the rides were always long. His attention barely piques when the person sitting next to him gets up for their own stop.

His mind jolts awake when someone else takes their place, squeezing as close to Guarana as possible. "GUARANA!" shrieks Graffiti, loud enough for the whole carriage to turn their heads. "HOWS IT GOING, MY MAN? THAT WUZ A PRETTY ROUGH FALL, HUH!!"

Guarana whispers hoarsely, "dude, shut up! how did you know?"

"WELL, I WATCHED U THE GROUND ON THE TEE-VEE! I COULDN'T IMAGINE HOW MUCH IT WOULDA HURT!" 

It hits Guarana--all of his mistakes were _filmed_. On TV. He embarrassed himself in front of the other contestants in imitation of this guy. Everyone on the train continues to stare at him.

"IF NOT 4 THAT SHELL, I MEAN. THOUGH I WOULDVE DONE THE SAME THING!"

"yeah okay. new topic, what're you on the train for?"

"GETTING SOMETHING 2 EAT, DUHH. WHAT ARE _U_ HERE FOR??"

"going home because i just got eliminated?"

"OH. RIGHT."

"but," Guarana pauses, "i wouldn't mind something to eat either, actually." 

Graffiti visibly livens up at the response, practically slapping a hand over Guarana's other shoulder. "COOLZIES!!! THAT MEANZ UR COMING WITH ME. AND THEN WE'LL HANG OUT LIKE COOL ELIMINATION BUDZ, HOWZ THAT SOUND?"

Guarana brushes Graffiti's hand off his shoulder and shrugs--"i mean, psh, why not? who's paying?"

Graffiti laughs. "YOU ARE, DUH!" 

"wait, _huh._ "


End file.
